The 650 hp ZL1 and the 50th Anniversary
The 650 hp supercharged ZL1 lands with a ten-speed automatic, fifty years after the first Camaro.
The ZL1 arrived with the supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 from the C7 Corvette Z06, rated at 650 hp and 650 lb-ft, and with GM's new ten-speed automatic. Its 7:29.60 lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife was, Chevrolet said, the quickest yet for an American muscle car.
The even wilder ZL1 1LE was announced in 2017 but sold as a 2018 model, and its record Nürburgring lap is on the 2018 page.
It was also the Camaro's 50th anniversary, and Chevrolet marked it with a 50th Anniversary Edition.
One production figure is listed for 2017: US sales (calendar year), 67,940.
| Record | Count | Note |
|---|---|---|
| US sales (calendar year) | 67,940 | Calendar-year US sales, not model-year production |
The 2017 table lists four engines: the 2.0 L turbocharged inline-4 (LTG), the 3.6 L V6 (LGX), the 6.2 L V8 (LT1) and the 6.2 L supercharged V8 (LT4). The highest power rating shown is 650 hp, for the 6.2 L supercharged V8 (LT4).
| Code | Engine | Power | Torque | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| X | 2.0 L turbocharged inline-4 (LTG) | 275 hp at 5,500 rpm | 295 lb-ft at 3,000–4,500 rpm | LS, LT; peak RPM as printed in this model-year US brochure |
| S | 3.6 L V6 (LGX) | 335 hp at 6,800 rpm | 284 lb-ft at 5,300 rpm | LS, LT |
| 7 | 6.2 L V8 (LT1) | 455 hp at 6,000 rpm | 455 lb-ft at 4,400 rpm | SS |
| 6 | 6.2 L supercharged V8 (LT4) | 650 hp at 6,400 rpm | 650 lb-ft at 3,600 rpm | ZL1 |
The 2017 list has eight options, packages and special editions. Of these, 6 show a price.
| Code | Description | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1LT / 2LT | Camaro LT coupe | $27,300 | Base price |
| — | Camaro LT convertible | $34,300 | Base price |
| 1SS / 2SS | Camaro SS coupe | $37,900 | Base price |
| — | Camaro SS convertible | $44,900 | Base price |
| — | Camaro ZL1 coupe | $62,135 | Base price; $63,435 with the $1,300 gas-guzzler tax added (GM, February 2017) |
| — | Camaro ZL1 convertible | $69,135 | Base price |
| 1LE | 1LE — LT (V6, manual) and SS | — | First V6 1LE; SS 1LE adds magnetic ride and an electronic limited-slip differential |
| — | 50th Anniversary Edition — 2LT and 2SS | — |
This table has 11 exterior colors for 2017. They include Summit White, Silver Ice Metallic and Nightfall Gray Metallic.
| Color | Note |
|---|---|
| Summit White | |
| Silver Ice Metallic | |
| Nightfall Gray Metallic | |
| Bright Yellow | Extra cost; not available with Adrenaline Red Interior Accent Trim Package |
| Red Hot | |
| Garnet Red Tintcoat | Extra cost |
| Krypton Green | Extra cost; limited production, late availability |
| Arctic Blue Metallic | New for 2017 |
| Hyper Blue Metallic | Extra cost; not available with Adrenaline Red Interior Accent Trim Package |
| Mosaic Black Metallic | |
| Black |
This table has nine interior trims for 2017.
The fabric names follow Chevrolet's 2017 US brochure; upholstery ordering codes remain unknown. Its equipment list specifies heated and ventilated leather-trimmed driver/front-passenger seats on 2LT and 2SS, while the fabric page and package matrix separately qualify the accent and anniversary interiors. Adrenaline Red is not available with Bright Yellow or Hyper Blue Metallic. ZL1's RECARO material/color entry comes from its own equipment list. SS 1LE includes RECARO performance seats on a 1SS coupe, requires Jet Black interior and a six-speed manual, and excludes the power sunroof; the package list does not establish another fabric-color entry. The 2016 Kalahari/Bright Yellow restriction is not carried into this year's chart.
| Trim | Note |
|---|---|
| Jet Black cloth | |
| Medium Ash Gray cloth | |
| Jet Black leather | |
| Medium Ash Gray leather | |
| Kalahari leather | |
| Adrenaline Red leather | Available on 2LT and 2SS with the Adrenaline Red Interior Accent Trim Package. Requires Convenience and Lighting Package on 2LT. |
| Ceramic White leather | Available on 2LT and 2SS with the Ceramic White Interior Accent Trim Package. Requires Convenience and Lighting Package on 2LT. |
| Jet Black / Dark Gray leather with Orange accents | 50th Anniversary Edition on 2LT and 2SS. Requires Convenience and Lighting Package on 2LT; the package specifies sueded inserts and Orange accent stitching. Convertible requires Black top. |
| RECARO seats with Jet Black leather appointments, Red accents and sueded inserts | Standard ZL1 performance seating; separate from the 50th Anniversary Edition interior |
This table gives 19 specifications for 2017, among them wheelbase (110.7 in) and overall length (188.3 in).
| Item | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Wheelbase | 110.7 in | |
| Overall length | 188.3 in | |
| Overall width | 74.7 in | |
| Overall height | 53.1 in; ZL1 52.4 in | |
| Curb weight, SS | 3,685 / 3,697 lb coupe · 3,932 / 3,943 lb convertible | Manual / automatic |
| Curb weight, ZL1 | 3,883 / 3,944 lb coupe · 4,113 / 4,148 lb convertible; ZL1 1LE about 3,820 lb | Manual / automatic |
| Brakes | LS/LT 12.6 in front (13.6 in Brembo available) / 12.4 in rear · SS 13.6 / 13.3 in four-piston · ZL1 15.35 in six-piston monobloc / 14.4 in | |
| Tires | LS/LT P245/50R18 or P245/40R20 · SS P245/40R20 front, P275/35R20 rear run-flat summer · ZL1 285/30ZR20 / 305/30ZR20 Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 · ZL1 1LE 305/30R19 / 325/30R19 Supercar 3R | |
| Final drive | 3.27 (turbo; V6 manual) · 2.77 (V6 and SS automatic) · 3.73 (SS and ZL1 manual) · 2.85 (ZL1 automatic) | |
| Fuel tank | 19 gal | |
| Cargo volume | 9.1 cu ft coupe / 7.3 cu ft convertible | |
| Assembly | Lansing Grand River, Michigan | |
| ZL1 performance | 0–60 mph in 3.5 s; quarter mile 11.4 s at 127 mph; 1.02 g cornering; 60–0 mph in 107 ft | GM figures |
| ZL1 against the previous ZL1 | About 200 lb lighter, 70 hp and 94 lb-ft more | Certified 650 hp / 650 lb-ft against 580 hp / 556 lb-ft; GM's reveal-time 640 hp / 640 lb-ft estimate gave about 60 hp and 80 lb-ft |
| Performance, 2.0 L turbo | 0–60 mph 5.5 s automatic; quarter mile 14.0 s at 100 mph; 0.85 g; 149 mph | GM brochure figures, coupe |
| Performance, 3.6 L V6 | 0–60 mph 5.1 s automatic; quarter mile 13.5 s at 103 mph; 0.89 g; 149 mph | GM brochure figures, coupe |
| Performance, SS | 0–60 mph 4.0 s automatic; quarter mile 12.3 s at 116 mph; 0.97 g; 180 mph | GM brochure figures, coupe |
| Performance, ZL1 | 0–60 mph 3.5 s automatic; quarter mile 11.4 s at 127 mph; 1.02 g | GM brochure figures, coupe |
| Platform | GM Alpha (rear-drive) |
What to check on a 2017 Camaro: VIN, ZL1 and 50th Anniversary.
| Item | What to look for | Note |
|---|---|---|
| VIN | 1G1 … position 8 engine code, position 10 = H | Built at Lansing Grand River, Michigan |
| ZL1 | Widened body, dual hood heat extractors | Supercharged LT4 |
| 50th Anniversary | Appearance package on 2LT and 2SS |
Decode a specific car with the VIN decoder and the engine and drivetrain stamp decoder.
Fifty years in, the top Camaro was a 650 hp car that Chevrolet said needed no extra-cost package to be track-ready.
Chevrolet revealed the sixth-generation ZL1 at the New York auto show in March 2016. "The Camaro ZL1 is designed to excel at everything," said Mark Reuss, GM's head of global product development. The supercharged LT4 was estimated at 640 hp at the reveal and certified at 650 hp and 650 lb-ft by launch. It came with a six-speed manual with active rev matching or GM's all-new ten-speed automatic, and the ZL1 was the first Chevrolet to use that gearbox. The car weighed about 200 pounds less than the fifth-generation ZL1 while making 70 hp and 94 lb-ft more than the fifth-generation car's 580 hp and 556 lb-ft (about 60 hp and 80 lb-ft more at the 640 hp and 640 lb-ft of the reveal estimate).
More than 100 hours in the wind tunnel shaped a larger lower grille, a hood with a carbon-fiber insert and heat extractor, a bigger splitter, wider front fenders and a wing-style spoiler. Magnetic Ride Control, an electronic limited-slip differential, launch control and Recaro seats were standard. So were 11 heat exchangers, because Chevrolet said a ZL1 should not need an extra-cost package to be track-ready. Brembo six-piston front calipers clamped 15.35-inch two-piece rotors, and the car rode on 20-inch forged wheels with Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires developed for it.
The Nürburgring car, announced in October 2016, was fitted only with a roll hoop, racing seats, harnesses and data equipment. In February 2017 a ZL1 averaged 198 mph at Germany's Papenburg proving ground.
Chevrolet marked the anniversary on June 28, 2016, fifty years to the day after Pete Estes revealed the Camaro name to reporters in 14 cities by telephone, at a press conference he declared the first and last meeting of the "Society for the Elimination of Panthers from the Automotive World." The celebration that summer included owner events and tours of the Lansing Grand River plant, where the car was built.
The 50th Anniversary Edition was offered on 2LT and 2SS coupes and convertibles. It brought 20-inch machined-face wheels with special center caps, a satin chrome-accented grille, a body-color splitter and orange brake calipers. Inside, Jet Black leather seats had dark gray sueded inserts, orange stitching and a debossed "FIFTY" logo, and the doorsill plates were illuminated. Chief engineer Al Oppenheiser said "you don't have to go very far to find someone who owned a Camaro."
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